Are there mechanisms which make learning programming significantly easier which don't have marked limitations? (e.g., the limitations of BASIC (esp. early imprlementations) vs. C)
I find it striking that this article references
Brooks, Fred, No Silver Bullets, IEEE Computer, vol. 20, no. 4, 1987, p. 10-19.
but doesn't cite one of the more notable responses:
It seems you're conflating "easy to write complex software" with "easy to learn how to program." Just because you're using a language/environment that offers more powerful, high-level features doesn't mean you're learning more. If anything, being forced to learn the low-level stuff probably gives you a deeper understanding of programming, even if your output is lower in the beginning.
After all this time, I am not all that convinced that Object Oriented Programming was all that much of a sliver bullet. Its impact is less that Cox claimed, in my opinion.
I find it striking that this article references
Brooks, Fred, No Silver Bullets, IEEE Computer, vol. 20, no. 4, 1987, p. 10-19.
but doesn't cite one of the more notable responses:
https://drdobbs.com/there-is-a-silver-bullet/184407534/
where that language (Objective C) coupled with the NeXT libraries/objects made possible Steve Jobs' "5-minute Word Processor Demo"
Do Swift (and SwiftUI) change this calculus?